Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Electoral Rolls in Bihar

Process:

• Electoral registration officers(EROs) to print pre-filled Enumeration Form (EF) for all existing electors as on the date of the order and give it to BLOs
• Booth Level Officers (BLOs) to distribute EFs to all existing electors through House-to-House visit
• EF will be available on the ECI website/ECINET which can be downloaded by an elector whose name is in the electoral roll as on the date of the order
• Booth Level Agents(BLAs) appointed by all recognised National & State political parties to be associated in the entire process
• BLOs to guide the public on filling up of EF
• CEO (Chief Electoral Officer)/DEOs (District Election Officers)/EROs/BLOs would take care that genuine electors, particularly old, sick, Persons with Disabilities (PwD), poor and other vulnerable groups are not harassed and are facilitated to the extent possible, including through deployment of volunteers.
• BLOs to collect EFs from the public along with required documents
• Alternatively, existing elector can also upload the EF and documents online
• BLO Supervisor to check the BLO’s qualitative & quantitative output
• Draft Electoral Roll to be prepared of all electors whose EF have been received
• Copies of the Draft Electoral Roll to be shared with all recognised National & State political parties & also put on ECI/CEO website
• Claims & objections for any addition/deletion of names can be filed by any elector or by any political party
• AERO (Assistant Electoral Registration Officer) will inquire into any complaint on the exclusion of any eligible persons or inclusion of any ineligible persons
• After decision on claims & objections, the Final Electoral Roll will be published by the ERO
• Copies of the Final Electoral Roll to be shared with all recognised National & State political parties & also put on ECI/CEO website
• Under Section 24 of the Act, an appeal against the order of ERO can also be made to the District Magistrate and the second appeal to the Chief Electoral Officer.

Verification and Transparency Measures

• As per Section 23 of RPA, 1950, eligibility to enrol as an elector is verified by the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO).
• Now, documents forming the basis of ERO’s satisfaction must also be uploaded in ECINET for transparency.
• These documents will be accessible only to authorised election officials, keeping in mind privacy concerns.

Arguments in Favour of the SIR

• Ensuring Electoral Integrity
  • Aims to cleanse the electoral rolls of errors such as duplicate entries, fake voters, and names of deceased persons.
  • Strengthens the principle of “one person, one vote”, thereby upholding democratic legitimacy.
• Responding to Demographic Shifts
  • Rapid urbanisation, migration, and population mobility often distort voter lists.
  • SIR allows systematic updating to ensure genuine representation.
• Legal & Constitutional Backing
  • Exercise is conducted under Article 326 of the Constitution and Sections 16, 23, and 24 of the Representation of People Act, 1950, providing clear legal safeguards.
  • By uploading supporting documents on ECINET, accountability is enhanced while privacy is protected (accessible only to authorised officials).
• Precedent & Periodic Revision
  • Electoral roll revision is a regular constitutional exercise; the SIR is only a more intensive version given Bihar’s unique issues.
  • Intensive revisions of electoral rolls, in all or some parts of the country, have been undertaken earlier in 1952-56, 1957, 1961, 1965, 1966, 1983-84, 1987-89, 1992, 1993, 1995, 2002, 2003 and 2004. Each revision has reflected the ECI’s evolving priorities — from correcting early administrative flaws to addressing migration, delimitation, and concerns over the quality of the rolls.
• Enhancing Public Trust
  • By ensuring error-free rolls, SIR reassures citizens that elections are conducted on a fair and credible voter base, boosting participation.
  • Addresses concerns of “bogus voting,” a frequent complaint during elections.

Arguments Against SIR of Electoral Rolls

1. Burden Shift on Voters: 
   • The SIR process flips the traditional burden of proof: instead of objectors, now voters themselves must prove their eligibility
2. Strict Documentation Requirements May Exclude Vulnerable Groups:
   • The SIR mandates documents like birth certificates, passports etc, which are often difficult to obtain in Bihar due to low literacy rates. Critics argue these requirements could systematically disenfranchise the poor and marginalized, especially minority communities like Muslims.
   • Many voters lack formal documentation (birth certificates), even though they possess Aadhaar or EPIC. The exclusion of such individuals risks widespread disenfranchisement.
3. Vulnerability of Accepted Documents:
   • Critics argue that none of the 11 documents specified by the Election Commission are foolproof; many are susceptible to forgery, creating risks of manipulation and wrongful exclusion of genuine voters.
4. Arbitrary Post-2003 Divide: 
   • Only voters enrolled after 2003 face strict checks—an illogical cutoff lacking legal precedent.
5. Political Timing & Selective Targeting:
   • Conducted solely in Bihar just before Assembly elections, the SIR has been branded by opposition parties as strategically timed. Allegations suggest the exercise is aimed at targeting specific voter groups to influence outcomes.
6. Lack of Transparency & Accountability:
   • Opponents have demanded the ECI publicly share the list of the 65 lakh deleted voters to verify fairness. Without transparency, the process remains opaque and prone to manipulation.
   • Recently the Supreme Court, while hearing petitions against the SIR, had directed the Election Commission to publish the details of those whose names were deleted from the draft rolls and the reasons for the deletion.In compliance, the Bihar CEO has published the comprehensive list
7. Limited State Capacity:
   • The Indian state’s record-keeping limitations and inability to uniformly provide documents constrain citizens. Many required proofs, such as birth certificates, were never systematically issued in earlier decades, especially in rural and marginalised regions.
8. Document Access & Intergenerational Gaps:
   • Citizens face multiple barriers in securing documents, especially where earlier generations never collected official records. This risks the disenfranchisement of already disadvantaged communities, deepening exclusion.